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Recall -- Firm Press Release

FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- March 2, 2009 -- Betty Lou’s Inc. of McMinnville, Ore., and the Oregon Food Bank are recalling 54,322 additional donated Peanut Oregon Health Food Bars because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

The bars were manufactured using peanut products recalled by Peanut Corporation of America. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more serious illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

Betty Lou’s Inc. distributed the Peanut Oregon Health Food Bars on a donation basis through the Oregon Food Bank Network of regional food banks, serving Oregon State and Clark County in Washington State.

The potentially affected products are 1.8 oz. bars, individually wrapped in clear plastic film, most are stamped with manufacturing dates. Some bars may not have any date or coding information. There is no UPC code. Oregon Food Bank (OFB) packed approximately 12 individual bars in a clear plastic bag with a label on the outside of the bag listing ingredients and stating “power bar” “distributed by Oregon Food Bank.”

Peanut Oregon Health Food Bars made on the following dates below are involved in this recall (new dates are in BOLD:

No known illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this product. Betty Lou’s Inc. initiated the recall after it determined the peanuts used in the bars were manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America. Betty Lou’s Inc. has informed the FDA of its actions and is fully cooperating with the agency.

“Food safety is paramount to Oregon Food Bank”, states Janeen Wadsworth, chief operating officer of Oregon Food Bank. “We have notified the OFB Network of 20 regional food banks about this recall. They, in turn, notify their local network of emergency food programs and agencies.”

Food-box recipients are asked to carefully check their cupboards for this product, which they may have received between March 2008 and February 2009, and throw away any product affected by this recall.

Oregon Food Bank continues to monitor the peanut product recalls carefully. We are using extreme caution to sort peanut product foods, pulling and destroying any recalled items. We thank all of the volunteers who have donated their time to help us carefully sort through OFB’s food supplies.